Competitive-balance vote is Thursday; close call expected

By the end of this week, we all should know whether a referendum issue before high school principals to address competitive balance is passed by member schools of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

By the end of this week, we all should know whether a referendum issue before high school principals to address competitive balance is passed by member schools of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

Based on preliminary results, and not many Stark County area principals have responded to a Repository poll, it is likely to be a close vote, either passing or failing by a few points either way.

Votes are counted Thursday, and the referendum needs a simple majority to pass.

This is the third straight year a competitive balance referendum has been voted on by OHSAA member schools. It failed by a 339-301 count in 2012 and it went down by a 332-303 count in 2011.

A statewide high school forum, JJHuddle, said nearly 200 athletic directors from across Ohio (principals actually cast the votes) responded to its survey, and 55 percent said their schools would vote against the measure and 43 percent for it.

The website also posted a question-and-answer exchange it had with the OHSAA on competitive balance. There were a couple of interesting, pointed, answers from the OHSAA.

JJHuddle asked — although it appears to be an editorial statement rather than a question — “(The) OHSAA is discouraging participation by indicating that the number of roster players will determine the multiplier, which will in turn determine the competitive division.”

OHSAA response: The OHSAA seeks to encourage participation. If a school “cuts” student-athletes who live outside the school’s attendance zone, who is doing the discouraging?

Then there was this one from JJHuddle: When looking specifically at football, St. Ignatius, Newark Catholic, Delphos St. John’s and Cardinal Mooney have won an overwhelming percentage of private school championships. This (sic) numbers would strike to be more disproportional. If these schools were taken out of the equation, the number of championships won by private schools in football would be much different.

OHSAA’s answer: What is the question here, or what is the point of this statement?

TRANSFER CHANGE

There also is a referendum item that would change the penalty for student-athletes who change high schools after their eighth-grade year. Currently, the penalty for doing so — without a bona fide residency change — is to sit out athletics for a year. The OHSAA said it has heard from judges who believe that penalty is draconian.

The proposal is to make it 50 percent of the sports season the athlete plays.

GlenOak athletic director and football coach Scott Garcia said, while the school hasn’t cast its vote, he

doesn’t believe GlenOak will support that change. GlenOak does not accept open enrollment. Anyone who comes to the school must reside within the district’s borders.